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But we must not bring forward both at once. conclude with a reflection or two, on what has been fuggefted from the history of Deborah.

I. It exposes the folly of despising or undervaluing any defcription of our fellow-creatures in the lump. All national reflections are founded in ignorance and folly; and the despisers have often paid dear for their infolence and presumption. The illiberal abuse so indifcriminately poured upon the gentler sex, is of the fame nature. It generally comes from men something worse than the worst part of womankind. The truly sensible, and the truly brave, entertain far better and far more just sentiments of female utility and import. ance in the scale of being; and are ever disposed to ascribe to female capacity and worth, more than female modesty and wisdom are disposed to affume, or even to receive. No good man ever wished to fee the female character undervalued or degraded; and perhaps very few good women have ever violently coveted stations and employments which belong peculiarly to.men. But as nature delights in producing variety, as well as uniformity, it is not to be wondered at, if we sometimes meet with men more filly, timid and frivolous, than the most infignificant of the other fex; and on the other hand, women as daring, as enlightened, as magnanimous, as publicspirited as the first among mankind. The rivalship, however, and competition of the sexes, is altogether ridiculous and abfurd. Each has its distinct, and both have their conjoined dignity and usefulness-and mutual concession is the truest wisdom in the one and in the other.

But, II. however weak and contemptible the instrument were in itself, from the hand that wields it, it be. comes mighty and respectable: and the history before us becomes, and that not darkly, a typical representation of the gospel of Christ, which was "to the Jews a stumbling-block, and to the Greeks foolishness." Pride and self-fufficiency smile at the idea of a female prophet, prophet, a female judge, a female poet, a female politician, a female warrior; and yet, in truth, women have filled all these offices, with credit to themselves, and with fatisfaction to the public. And "who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb or deaf, or the feeing, or the blind?" In the honoured list of those who "through faith fubdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, efcaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens," female names too stand recorded with commendation and renown. And "what hast thou, O man, but what thou hast first received?" -"God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wife; and God hath chofen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised hath God chofen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: that no flesh should glory in his prefence."

III. As the great Ruler of the world never can want an inftrument to save, fo he is always provided with instruments to punish. "He is wife in heart and mighty in strength; who hath hardened himself against him and hath profpered?" The haughtiest of monarchs is at length constrained to "praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment, and those that walk in pride he is able to abafe." "By a strong hand and stretched-out arm," Pharaoh is at length compelled to "let Ifrael go." "Humble" then "thyfelf," Ο man, "under his mighty hand." "Be wife now, O ye kings, be instructed, ye judges of the earth, serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling."

The next Lecture will carry on the history of Debo.. rah, in connexion with that of Jael. I conclude the prefent, with calling on the female part of my audience to bless God, that while he has carried fome of their sex, through the most arduous employments, most eminent stations, and most hazardous enterprises, not only with fafety, but with applause, he is pleased, in general, to put their talents and their virtues to a trial lefs fevere; and let them remember, that after all which has been, or may be faid, in praise of the few who have acted wisely and well upon the public theatre, to the generality, "the post of honour, is a private station,

Hiftory

History of Deborah.

LECTURE IIL

JUDGES iv. 21-23.

Then Jael, Heber's wife, took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand, and went Softly unto him, and Smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground: (for be was fast asleep, and weary) so be died. And behold, as Barak pursued Sifera, Jael came out to meet him, and faid unto him, Come, and I will shew thee the man whom thou feekest. And when he came into her tent, behold, Sifera lay dead, and the nail was in his temples. So God fubdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the children of Ifrael.

WHEN we confider how frequent, how violent, and

how fudden are the transitions from condition to condition in human life, pride appears to be a mystery of folly, below contempt. To behold a rational being assuming consequence on an empty, unmeaning title; or from the possession of a little wealth, that bird of passage, eternally on the wing; or from beauty and strength, which accident or disease may blast in a moment, and which the lapse of a very few years certainly will impair; to behold a man putting confidence in princes, or feeding on the applaufe of a multitude; to hear him saying to himself, "Soul, take thy reft; thou hast much goods laid up for many years." "My mountain

!

mountain standeth strong; I shall never be moved." All this is calculated to excite derision, not resentment; and when reason and experience ponder what the end may be, anger sinks into pity. Not only is frail man every moment at the mercy of a Being, almighty to save and to destroy; but the proudest and mightiest is every moment in the power of the weakest and meaneft of his fellow-creatures. The tongue of the wretch whom thou despisest, may ruin thy reputation for ever. The crawling infect in thy path is armed with deadly poifon against thy life. That nodding wall threatens to crush thee to pieces. Arm thee at all points, as well as thou canst, malice or hatred, envy or revenge will still find fome part unguarded; and, bleeding to death, thou shalt find thou wert not invulnerable.

Those who are diftinguished by their rank, their abilities, or their virtues, attract the notice of many observers, and create to themselves many open and many more fecret enemies. The history of Sifera, the captain of the host of Jabin, king of Canaan, is a striking illustration of most of these remarks. In him, we see a man rendered infolent by success, intoxicated with profperity, betrayed into disgrace through confidence of victory, the dupe of confidence in his own strength, and then the victim of confidence, equally unwife, in the fidelity and attachment of a stranger. We behold him in the morning, advancing to the unequal conflict at the head of a mighty and hitherto invincible host; in the evening, a bleeding corpse, fallen ingloriously by the hand of a woman.

Deborah, the prophetess of Ifrael, having transfused the patriotic ardour of her foul into Barak, not only directs him what he should do, but offers herself as the companion of the expedition which she had planned. With ten thousand men of the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali under his command, Barak takes poffeffion of Mount Tabor, meaning to act only on the defenfive, till Providence should point out an occafion of acting to advantage. The rashness and impetuofity of

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